Divorced Fathers' Perceptions of Parental Disclosures to Children

Kang, Youngjin; Ganong, Lawrence H.

doi:10.1111/fare.12410

Cited by 7 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 24 publications

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“…Effective coparents in stepfamilies manage informational boundaries with children by making and trying to abide by explicit rules about (a) what is appropriate and inappropriate to disclose, (b) not talking badly about the other parent, and (c) not putting children in the middle of parental conflicts (Afifi, 2003; Kang & Ganong, 2020). Effective coparents also monitor the information they share with their children, so as not to overwhelm or stress them (Golish, 2003; Jamison et al, 2014).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Another major focus of research on effective parenting in stepfamilies has been on establishing appropriate parent–child communication boundaries regarding how much and what information they communicate to children (Afifi, 2003; Braithwaite et al, 2008; Kang & Ganong, 2020). On the one hand, intimate conversation between parents and children is beneficial to child well‐being (e.g., Beckmeyer et al, 2020).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Effective parenting in stepfamilies: Empirical evidence of what works

et al. 2022

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Objective The purpose of this study was to examine research evidence about effective childrearing in stepfamilies (i.e., parenting practices that contribute to children's physical, cognitive, and emotional well‐being). Background Stepfamilies are increasingly common. Studies show that children in stepfamilies tend to be at higher risk for negative outcomes than children in first‐married biological‐parent families. As research on stepfamilies has expanded, researchers have made strides in identifying parenting practices that promote positive outcomes for children in stepfamilies. Method We reviewed 37 studies that contained empirical evidence of effective parenting by biological or adoptive parents of children in stepfamilies. Results Researchers have identified numerous actions employed by parents that are linked to children's positive outcomes. Effective parenting practices fall broadly into five domains: (a) maintaining close parent–child bonds, (b) establishing appropriate parent–child communication boundaries, (c) exercising parental control, (d) supporting stepparent–stepchild relationship development, and (e) facilitating stepfamily cohesion. Conclusions Effective childrearing in stepfamilies involves carefully managing competing family needs, such as the need to balance shared family time with one‐on‐one parent–child time or the need to establish open parent–child communication boundaries in some areas but closed boundaries in others. Implications Parents have available to them a number of empirically supported action items linked to child well‐being in stepfamilies.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effective parenting in stepfamilies: Empirical evidence of what works

et al. 2022

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“…To coparent collaboratively also requires careful communication—to each other and to children. Keeping children out of conflicts is part of carefully communicating, but a good part of this is monitoring the information that is disclosed to children (e.g., Afifi et al, 2007; Kang & Ganong, 2020). This is tricky, because children want to know things about parental separations (e.g., who caused the separation) and repartnerings that may affect them, but they react negatively (e.g., are psychologically or relationally harmed) when provided with too much information.…”

Section: Summarizing and Synthesizing Findings From The What Work Pro...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Summary and synthesis of research on what works in stepfamily childrearing

et al. 2022

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Objective The purposes of this review are (a) to summarize holistically and synthesize research evidence about “what works” regarding effective stepfamily childrearing (i.e., behaviors that contribute to children's physical, cognitive, and emotional well‐being) drawn from three research reviews and (b) explore implications of a “what works” approach in family scholarship. Background This project was designed to identify research‐based evidence about effective childrearing in stepfamilies by parents, stepparents, and coparents. Method We examined 2338 reports, identifying 119 studies yielding empirical evidence about “what works” in stepfamily childrearing. Results On the basis of our analyses of these studies, we find that researchers have found multiple ways children in stepfamilies are effectively raised and that stepchildren benefit when (a) parents exercise parental control by disciplining and setting rules early, (b) stepparents focus on bonding with stepchildren while parents work at maintaining close bonds with children, (c) stepparents and parents agree on rules and roles, (d) coparenting subsystems work collaboratively, and (e) parents and stepparents engage in activities to facilitate family cohesion. Conclusions Studies from a “what works” perspective were conducted using a variety of methods and approaches. Effective childrearing in stepfamilies benefits individual, relational, and stepfamily well‐being and effective stepfamily functioning. There are multiple ways to effectively raise children in stepfamilies. There are still things we do not know about childrearing in stepfamilies, however. Implications Focusing on resilience processes and positive family dynamics yield findings transferable to real‐world applications. Many areas of family scholarship would benefit from a what works perspective.

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“…Divorced parents may want to engage in casual romantic relationships without letting their children know about them, or they may feel it necessary to fully discuss this information with them (Anderson & Greene, 2005). Perceived benefits and risks of dating may be important considerations when deciding how much information to share with children (Kang & Ganong, 2020). It is reasonable to expect that greater perceived benefits or fewer perceived risks would be associated with more information shared about dating, whereas fewer benefits and greater risks may be related to less information sharing of this private information.…”

Section: Disclosing Dating Information To Childrenmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Post‐divorce changes to household membership, rules, and roles mean that parent–child boundary setting may be a challenge for some parents. For example, some researchers have identified a phenomenon in which divorced parents begin to confide private information to their children or to a specific child (Afifi, 2003; Kang & Ganong, 2020). Although some children like being the recipient of such previously unknown information, the effects of parental disclosures are often a burden to children and make them feel caught in the middle of their parents' ongoing disputes and negotiations in what has been called loyalty conflicts (Afifi, 2003).…”

Section: Boundaries After Divorce: Balancing Privacy and Opennessmentioning

confidence: 99%

Divorced parents' perceived benefits and risks of dating and sharing of dating information

Kang

Ganong

2022

Family Relations

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ObjectiveIn this study we explored the associations among divorced parents' perceptions of the benefits and risks of dating and parents' sharing of private information about dating, specifically information related to the timing of introducing dating partners to children and coparents and disclosures to children about dating activities.BackgroundRelatively little is known about how divorced parents decide how open they should be about disclosing information about dating partners.MethodA convenience sample comprised 284 divorced mothers and 117 divorced fathers recruited following a state‐mandated divorce education program. Participants completed an online survey. Data were analyzed with regression analyses.ResultsWhen parents perceive the dating partner as a benefit in coparenting their children, they are more likely to think that dating partners should be introduced earlier to children and that more information about dating relationships should be shared with children. Concerns about other's perceptions were related to later introductions between dating partners and children.ConclusionSome of the divorced parents' perceptions of possible dating benefits and risks are related to introducing a new partner and sharing dating information with children.ImplicationsFamily practitioners could help divorced parents evaluate both how to approach introduction of dating parents, as well as dating partners' potential to assist them in childrearing if the relationship becomes serious or long term. More research is needed on what goes into parental decisions to disclose information about dating to children.

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Divorced Fathers' Perceptions of Parental Disclosures to Children

Cited by 7 publications

References 24 publications

Effective parenting in stepfamilies: Empirical evidence of what works

Effective parenting in stepfamilies: Empirical evidence of what works

Summary and synthesis of research on what works in stepfamily childrearing

Divorced parents' perceived benefits and risks of dating and sharing of dating information

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